Twelve Days of Christmas: Christmas Truce
by Brightness Wordweaver
Summary: Whenever Erik and the Brotherhood of Mutants crashes at the Xavier School, a fight inevitably breaks out. Why should this time be any different? Set several years post-XMA, but continuity isn't hugely important.


A/N: Welcome to Day Six of my Twelve Days of Christmas ficathon. Each day will be in a different fandom, so check out the full list on my profile. Today's loose[r than usual] prompt: six geese a-laying.

...

Charles Xavier stared in disbelief at the motley crew collected on his doorstep. "Erik, perhaps you could explain just why I should let you and your Brotherhood in?"

Erik Lensherr, kitted out to the nth degree in soot-streaked maroon armor, lifted his hands almost helplessly. "The MRD destroyed our safe house. We don't have anywhere else to go, and some of us can't pass for human. We'd get picked off in seconds."

Charles was tempted to send them on their way. Still, the Xavier School existed primarily as a refuge for mutants in trouble, and this group, led by his troublemaking former friend or not, was definitely in trouble. More than a few looked injured, and there were, as Erik had said, several who wouldn't be able to pass for human.

"All right," he said, hoping he wouldn't regret this. "Come in. We'll find room for your group-_temporarily_. And try not to make trouble."

The Brotherhood left precipitously the next night, as soon as it was dark. During their brief stay, there had been several nasty arguments, three occasions on which bodily harm was threatened by an X-Man or Brotherhood denizen, and one knock-down-drag-out fight that started during dinner and caused significant damage to furniture and relationships.

"Well, we definitely burned that bridge," said Toad. "They won't let us in again in a hurry."

...

Three months later, there was a rather persistent knocking on the front door of the Xavier School. Charles opened it, saw who it was, and immediately wheeled backwards. "No. I'm sorry, old friend, but you can't crash your Brotherhood here again. We still haven't restored everything from last time."

"Raven is hurt," Erik said shortly. "There's nowhere else we can take her. You know this. If the wrong people get hold of her blood-"

Charles had a lot of questions, beginning with _Why is Raven back with you again? _and going on from there. Raven was bleeding quite a lot through her makeshift bandage, though, and Erik did have a strong point about human scientists not being able to be trusted. He knew this could only end in tears, but it was his _sister_. Goodness knows she let him do little enough about it these days, but he could do this.

The Brotherhood's stay at the school lasted slightly longer this time, about a day and a half. Their departure began when Erik took issue with Hank's medical treatments for Raven's injury, and ended with the Brotherhood as a whole fleeing across the school grounds as quickly as they could with Raven limping. In between, a lot of things flew through the air, including scalpels, a plate of fried eggs, copious amounts of blue fur, and Erik.

"Did you really have to make such a scene?" Raven said through clenched teeth as they left (Hank hadn't had time to give her any pain medicine). "I'll have to be on death's door now before they let us come back."

...

Charles let their new arrival Logan answer the door next time someone came knocking at an odd hour. He reasoned that, if it were the Brotherhood again, the appearance of a battle-scarred grumpy stranger might pose a deterrent.

He couldn't have been more wrong. "Hey, little brother," said a large, incredibly hairy man on Magneto's left. "So you've moved into the freak house, huh?"

"Victor." The word, recognition and greeting, came out in a growl that would've made Charles leave in a hurry. The hirsute Victor, however, seemed to be only encouraged by the tone.

"Good to see you, too. The boss needs a place to gonna let us in?"

Logan looked like he'd rather die fighting, but Charles wheeled into view of the doorway. "Erik, good to see you again, old friend," he lied. "Come right in. Where is Raven, or is she one of the ones I don't recognize?"

"Mystique is on a solo trip. In the meantime, those of us who are more conspicuous have people searching for us. We need a place to lie low."

_Again_, Charles thought but didn't say. Without even paying attention, he could pick up on the students and X-Men watching the new arrivals and quietly taking bets on how long this visit would last.

According to Peter Maximoff, the main bookie and official timekeeper, it took exactly six hours, thirteen minutes, and forty-seven seconds from when the last Brotherhood member crossed the threshold for Logan and Victor to get into a fight. Half an hour later, Erik was able to loop a length of steel pipe around Victor's midsection and drag him outside as the rest of the Brotherhood beat a hasty retreat.

Logan watched them go with a grim look on his blood-spattered face. "Those guys don't come in here again if Vic's with 'em."

Charles surveyed the wreckage of the school and had to agree.

...

The next time Erik showed up, Victor wasn't with him. A familiar-looking teenage girl was. Peter zipped up to the door (presumably looking for another betting opportunity), and actually stopped dead. "Lorna?" he said, sounding shocked. "What are you doing with _them_?"

"It's Polaris," she said, flicking back hair that was undeniably green. "And I'm with them because _I _finally had the guts to go talk to Dad, is why."

For about three seconds, Peter adopted an expression similar to that of a stunned frog. Then he launched into a barrage of motormouthed questions, ranging from _Does Mom know you're here?_ to _So what mutant power do you have, and how come you never told me?_ to _How come your hair is _green_?_ Charles bowed to the inevitable and let the Brotherhood troop in.

Possibly in the interest of promoting family goodwill, the X-Men and the Brotherhood actually refrained from starting any fights, scuffles, or even mild disagreements for three whole days. During this time, Peter, Lorna, and Erik spent a lot of time shut up in various rooms together, occasionally shouting to be heard over each other if the noise was any indication.

In the end, it was the siblings themselves who ignited the situation. On the fourth morning, a routine breakfast-table bicker turned into a barrage of flying silverware, which led to Hank losing his coffee and spilling his meds, which led to Erik getting involved, which led to much of the first floor of the school being totally demolished, several windows being smashed, and nearly every adult mutant, plus several teenage ones, being sprawled on the training field after several hours hard tussle.

Charles nudged his old friend to his feet and pulled him aside. "Erik, please believe me when I say that no one desires rapprochement and harmony between mutants more than I. But there are limits to what a man, or his school, can bear. Please, I beg you, do not ask me to keep your Brotherhood under my roof again."

Erik collected his allies and departed. Lorna Maximoff went with him. Peter did not.

...

On three separate occasions after that that Charles knew about, Erik came to the Xavier School with various members of the Brotherhood. Raven always accompanied him, and Victor was present once. Whatever Erik's reasons might be for showing up, Charles never knew. He'd taken to answering the door flanked by Logan and Storm, and always shut the door swiftly if Erik's group were the ones seeking entry.

...

It was Christmas Eve, and the school was nearly empty-most of the students whose families were speaking to them had gone home for a fortnight's vacation. The X-Men were still there, as were several students with more obvious mutations, but all in all, the school was unusually quiet, made quieter still by the falling snow outside.

Sometime between eleven and midnight, there was a knock at the door.

Charles wheeled to the door alone. Erik, Raven, Toad, and a few others he didn't recognize were standing there (mercifully, Victor was again absent).

"Erik, we've talked about this," Charles said helplessly. "Find somewhere else to go; clearly, you've managed to survive the last several times I didn't let you in."

"Not this time. Sentinel Services bombed our safe houses. All six of them."

Charles sighed. "Give me one good reason you haven't already used for me to let you past this door."

"I didn't bring Victor Creed," Erik said. "Or Lorna. Or any of the other ones who've made trouble before."

"Where is your daughter, anyway?" Charles asked before he could stop himself.

"She was very insistent about observing the seasonal traditions with her mother," Erik said mildly. "Personally I think she's met some young man, but I can't prove it."

"The good reason," Charles prompted.

Erik considered. "You have an arterial pipe that's about to burst and flood the entire third floor, putting your running water out of commission. I could do something about it."

"Thank you, but I'll have Jean take a look at it in the morning."

Erik seemed to think a bit more, then gestured disarmingly. "It's Christmas?"

Charles blinked.

"You know, a time for cessation of hostilities? For warring sides to come together in peace, however temporarily? You know, my father used to tell me this story, about his battalion in the Great War celebrating Christmas with a cease-fire between their side and the British."

"I'm aware of the Christmas Truce." Charles attempted to run a hand through his hair, only to remember he no longer had any. He wheeled backwards-but didn't shut the door. "Come in, then. Hank is home with his family and Logan and Peter will probably be good if you didn't bring their siblings. Most of the students are gone, so there's more space, at least for the next few days. We'll just have to hope for the best."

Erik chuckled. "Hope, old friend?"

"Yes, Erik, hope. Be glad for it. My defiant retention of it is the only thing putting a roof over your people's heads tonight."

After all, if you couldn't have hope on Christmas Eve, when could you have it?


End file.
